PIONEER EQUINE HOSPITAL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Compassionate and High-Quality Care
General Information:
Pioneer Equine Hospital is located in California’s central valley in Oakdale. We are nestled between the foothills of the Sierra Mountains and the valley’s vast agricultural landscape. Pioneer opened its doors in 1973, when two veterinarians had a vision to form the premier equine veterinary clinic in the area. Drs. Britton and Black built one of the most recognized equine hospitals in the country for equine surgery and lameness. From those deep roots, Pioneer has grown to become a full-service referral hospital. In addition, we provide full service primary care on both an outpatient and ambulatory basis.
Facility:
The hospital is a 22,000 square foot full-service facility on 20 acres in Oakdale, California. It has two spacious surgical suites with adjacent viewing rooms. Ther are four padded induction/recovery rooms which are utilized by surgery and MRI. There are seven large examination rooms including specialty rooms for standing surgery, radiology, ultrasound, and endoscopy. The covered lameness area is 140 x 300 feet with hard and soft ground for optimal evaluation. We have the only high field MRI in northern California and a Pegaso CT with an impressive 120cm gantry. There are two 20 stall barns which separate the surgical and lameness patients from the medical and emergency cases. The on-site podiatry center offers highly skilled farriers who see outside appointments and work closely with the veterinarians in cases that need therapeutic or corrective shoeing. Our reproductive services include assisted reproductive technology, artificial insemination, sub-fertile mare management, foaling, full- service stallion management, breeding soundness evaluation and collection of semen for shipping and freezing both domestically and internationally.
Doctors and Staff:
Pioneer has 8 associate veterinarians, which include two board certified surgeons, a board-certified internist, a certified veterinary acupuncturist and certified animal chiropractor as well as an associate who specializes in orthopedic and soft tissue ultrasound. We have multiple intern veterinarians and a large team of equine health technicians and front office staff.
Type of Practice:
100% equine practice – predominantly performance horse with emphasis on western, hunter, jumper and dressage. We also serve our local non-performance horse community.
Caseload:
The hospital treats approximately 5,700 horses annually. Case allocation is as follows:
Externship Experience:
Pioneer Equine Hospital offers externships for veterinary students regardless of class year. Externships can vary in duration, but we encourage a stay of two weeks (shorter duration stays can be arranged for students interested in our internship). We provide housing, free of charge, with a full kitchen for up to six externs at one time. The externships are very educational and interactive; externs will offer assistance with outpatient and hospitalized cases, as well as provide support during business and after-hours emergencies. This provides a unique opportunity for veterinary students to gain a great deal of practical experience in a clinical equine private practice and observe the daily operations of an equine hospital.
Students must provide their own transportation to and from the clinic. If traveling from out of state, most students will fly in and out of Sacramento International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport, San Jose International Airport or Stockton Metropolitan Airport. Greyhound bus lines and taxi services can also be utilized to provide transportation to our clinic.
Externs will be assigned daily to one of the associates or surgeons. Externs will assist associates and intern veterinarians with daily clinical responsibilities involved in treating hospitalized patients and outpatient appointments. Students will have time to observe general anesthesia and surgery. Additionally, externs may spend time at our reproductive center (1.5 miles from our main hospital) and on ambulatory calls to ensure they have experienced all aspects of Pioneer Equine Hospital. Hands-on experience may be provided to externs that have a minimum two-week visit at the discretion of the hospital’s doctors and staff.